Escape
by the rat in the hat
Summary: the journey of two people trying to survive in a world that has ended.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: How we killed the earth.**

A hundred and fifteen years ago, a draught swept across rune-midgard, so vast it dried up forests as far as payon and the mjolnir range. It was not soon after that tensions among humans and tribal monsters rose again. The Orcs blamed men for violating the gods, while humans blamed the latter for deliberately destroying the lands. Thus began the demi-human war. The Orcs, together with the cunning goblins and the half-canine Kobolds, joined together against Prontera and its allied armies. For months they fought aimlessly, blood fed the parched ground whenever they met. Both suffered innumerable losses, but it was not enough to waiver their hate towards their foe back then.


	2. Hope and Doubt

_Then the undead came into scene. Thousands of demons crawled out of their various hellholes and joined the half-breeds in their fight against humankind. With the undead on their side, they started to lay siege on the cities. For the first time, I felt unsure of our victory on this war. But the king didn't even have a trace of uneasiness. That was until our intelligence group discovered that the demons sent a message to the kingdom of Schwarzwald, stating that they should remain neutral if they do not want to be their second target. It surprised us, we always thought that the enemies we were fighting against were mere monsters, brainless primitive brutes. But what came after was more shocking: Prontera was the main target. And the creeps that currently attack the walls? They were a tenth of their actual army size._

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**Chapter One. Hope and Doubt.**

Edward fell down, face first, into the ground. The icy soil greeted his face, scraping his already numb cheek. Exhausted, he inhaled; damp earth as well as its scent filled his nostrils. He lay there, motionless, half-wanting that the falling snow would just pile on him, suffocating him..

For a moment, he was wondering what he was doing.

"Edward get your ass back up, I need some help here!" a voice from afar said, waking him from his conscious slumber.

He got back up quickly, and looked around the vast courtyard. Hundreds of tombstones littered the area, crosses adorned with icy stalactites, and covered by a thin sprinkle of powder snow. Then he ran towards two faint figures. He cursed as he stumbled out of balance a few times, apparently still wobbly after that last strike.

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Lyla struggled, arms blocking all attacks dealt to her. No matter how tired she was, she couldn't bear to put down her defence. She stared at disbelief at her assailant. After all of her attacks, it was still standing, brandishing its decaying arms. She looked at the points where her fist struck; what used to be its organs were now mere empty holes.

And yet it still stands.

The corpse continued, letting out a barrage of uncoordinated yet powerful swipes. Its nails clawing, ripping her skin, and staying there. Its crumbling face a blank slate, expressionless.

_Just a little longer.._

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"Lyla, now!" Edward yelled as he stopped behind her, foot digging onto the ground as he twisted his body, hands grabbing the end of an iron pipe. His companion responded by sliding under the zombie, and using the momentum of the move, kicked the corpse on its behind, pushing it towards him – just as he spun counter clockwise, and swung his arms, together with the metal, to the zombie.

The pipe, corroded beyond belief, shattered upon the sheer force exerted upon hitting its body. Only the part where Edward held the shaft remained as its pieces dug itself on the corpse's midsection, tearing its skin, straight to its stomach, and littered the air around them. 

Edward, still under the influence of the spin's inertia, completed the spin, knocked over the mobile corpse with his left elbow, and drove the sharp edge of what was left of the pipe between the zombie's eyes.

No sound came from its rotten lips.

_That's the problem with these . You never know when they're really dead._

Shivering slightly from the coldness of dawn, he stood back up, eyes scouring the frozen graveyard. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing no signs of life.

_I now consider walking corpses alive? I really must be going crazy._

He glanced upon his right, his companion standing beside a battered brick wall.

"Found it?" He called.

"Yup," She was smiling. "Come and see."

Behind the wall, alongside the rows of tombstones, were a hundred plants, each of them having five to six long pale white leaves.

_Fragile, innocent, seemingly out of place in the cold, cold world. _

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"Hvit plants." Lyla whispered.

Lyla picked a leaf, rolled it up, and lit one end with a lighter. Warmth soon spread all over her body as she puffed on the herb. She exhaled an air of contentness.

"So.." Edward interrupted, snapping Lyla back to the cruel reality. "Looks like our plans will continue."

"Your plan. Remember that." She hated it when things go his way.

"You can't back out of this one. We got enough leaves to last the journey. That was the deal."

She sighed. _He was right. He was always right. Why did I have to agree on that? Dammit, I don't want to leave…_

"Why do we have to go.. We can't leave this place, it's our only home."

"We have to go. Nothing's gonna happen if we stay here our whole lives. There's a better place-"

"Yeah, I know. You've been talking about that one for weeks-"

"-We can go there-"

"How do you know it even exists-"

"-I told you, this book-"

"That book only mentioned its name! We don't even know where it is! What if it's just a fairy tale, or.. or.. or…" She slumped down, words drowned by sobs.

Edward sat in front of her, his hands cupping her face.

"Just.. trust me on this. Please." Edward looked directly, sincerely, at her eyes.

For a few moments they were still, their eyes locked in some sort of indecipherable understanding.

Finally, She broke her gaze, and slowly nodded.

"Oneesan.." Edward wrapped his arms around her, and his sister did the same.

_..Everyone.. please guide our way._


	3. In memory of

_And so the attacks continued. Soon Prontera couldn't afford sending troops to west Geffen. We were on the defensive, struggling with wave after wave of attack from the horde. Desperate with the current turn of events, the King Tristan demanded that Al De Baran, the nearest city of the Schwarzwald Republic, join our alliance or be considered an enemy. I couldn't believe what I heard. It was as if this kind man, the man who treated me like a daughter, didn't exist anymore._

Weeks passed, and the defences are gradually deteriorating. Food supplies were dropping. People on the streets, asking "Why does Prontera have to suffer like this?" "Why did it have to be us?" "What has Prontera done to them? Why not the other cities?" We haven't had any contact with the outside world for a while now, but I know that the other cities are suffering too.

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**Chapter Two. In memory of.**

Noon. The sun's rays, covered by thick dark clouds, barely lit the surroundings, coating the snow covered ruins with a soft cold glow.

The smell of decay is there, as though it has been etched in the land, for no plants or animas, dead or otherwise, can be seen. Yet in this dead soil two people still stand, living, and breathing, for another day.

A man of early twenties observed the surroundings from behind a window. Aside from a dark green jacket over black long sleeves with grey sweat pants and a pair of sneakers, he wore a face of uncertainty.

Edward sighed, looking through the stained glass of the abbey. He then shifted his gaze towards the grey stone walls, down to the smooth floor, and into the massive steel riveted oak doors.

"Am I really leaving this place?" He whispered.

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I was walking along the pathways that connect the ruins from the inside when I saw an opening to another room. I was hardly surprised, since we guys must've explored only a fourth of the intertwined chambers.

It was a small room, about ten meters wide. From a corner in the left-hand ceiling, a narrow waterfall of light trickled, as what every room in here has as sources of light.

As I entered, I stumbled upon something. A circle of round, smooth stones, and in it, pieces of half-burnt wood and ash. I squinted, straining to see more of the surroundings. I saw an iron pot, a cracked hairbrush, and a canvas bag.

Immediately, I thought of one single thing: _I'm on a campsite! Someone actually lives here!_ But it was not soon after that my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and saw what was in front of me.

Where the walls and the floor met, there was a pile of clothing. A heavy skirt with an apron, a torn blouse, and on its lap, a frilly headband. It was in a sitting position. I crouched beside it, and I frowned as I saw what was inside the dress.

Its ribcage was what was left of the body that owned the dress.

Disappointed that I wasn't able to meet anyone alive, I just went straight to the girl's bag. _The spoils of victory.._ In it was an extra set of what she wore, a pen, a parchment…

A book.

I sat straight, and set the hardbound on my lap. The cover showed the dress in the corner, though now it had a cute body in it. Below it, read:

**The Kafra Corporation's Guide to Rune Midgard; 4th Edition.**

Wondering what kind of stupid corporation hires maids, I flipped a few pages.. _table of contents, foreword, introduction,_

PRONTERA: The Capital of Rune-Midgard.

I blinked, staring at the intricate map drawn on the sheepskin. I turned the page.

IZLUDE: The Satellite City.

Next page…

_Geffen. Payon. Morroc. Alberta. Comodo. Al de Baran-_

My eyes widened. The paper stared at me innocently.

AL DE BARAN: The southernmost city of Schwarzwald.

_I-it can't be.. it exists?_

I closed the book shut, stuffed it in the bag, and ran across the twisting hallways, back to the abbey.

"Lyla! Ciel! Cross! Everyone!" I emerged from the catacombs, exhausted, a group of five staring at me.

I showed them the page. I remembered Cross cursing in disbelief. Ciel almost fainted. Aldrin with his gaping mouth.

Then the words that came soon after from each of their lips.

"Al de Baran exists!"  
"They say that it was the only city unaffected by the war!"  
"We can be saved!"

And soon it was decided. Find enough hvit leaves to survive a long journey. How long? We didn't know, for the book only stated that it was "north of Prontera." While we don't know either where this Prontera is, we could guess that it's pretty far.

Only Lyla was against it. "Why reach for the stars when we can live on the earth alone?" she retorted. But we didn't care. We wanted more than our lives on this abbey.

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_And now, we did it._ Edward said to himself.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around. A woman, a few months older than he, stood there. She wore a high collared red shirt, hip hugger jeans, fur boots, and topped it off with a cream white coat.

"Shall we go?" Lyla asked.

He walked to the other side of the vast room, towards a spot where the stone floor receded. In the soil were four mounds, each with a makeshift crux.

"Ciel, Omar, Cross, and Aldrin." He whispered.

_Is this what I have to sacrifice to earn the right to find the city?_

Lyla stood beside Edward and embraced him.

"I promise. I'll find the city. Their lives will not be in vain." He said to comfort himself.

Their lips locked. Warmth entwined their bodies as their sorrows intermingled with each other.

_Goodbye, Glast Heim. My home._


	4. So unlucky we are: beyond the river

_Finally, a falcon came. It delivered two things: One, a statement by the Mayor of Al De Baran, stating that the City will close all relations with the outside world; Two, a piece of parchment, containing a recipe for a substance called saltpeter. The conference room became alive again, apparently given hope yet still confused with this unknown material. Just then, a crashing sound. I ran towards the window, wishing it wasn't what I think it is. _

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**Chapter Three. So unlucky we are.  
one: beyond the river**

Snow, rocks, and soil. These encompassed everything their eyes saw. Not a single dried up tree or brush existed in the vast tundra where Edward and Lyla treaded. The sky was back to its normal stoic state, feathery soft white clouds dotting the heavy grey-black ones.

Edward continued on foot, his slow gentle strides making pockets at the thin powder snow. The enthusiastic feeling he had at the start of their pilgrimage slowly fading away, like a recent memory unable to recall. _Normally, one would run, wishing to arrive at the destination as soon as possible. But the problem is, do I have a destination? _

He stared at the gloomy horizon. The clouds were omnipresent, a blanket stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a mirror, mimicking the frozen plains below, earth and the sky sandwiching the endless field of nothingness.

_Ever since we left home all we have seen is a complete wasteland. Nothing moves except the wind. Have a made a mistake? Maybe Lyla was right after all…_

He glanced back at his older sister. Lyla had her eyes closed, her hands cradling her elbows. She stumbled once or twice; still she kept her eyes shut, as if wishing that everything were a bad dream.

_She had uncertainties about the journey. Yet she still came with me. She believed me, so in return I shouldn't lose hope._

Edward and Lyla have been walking for days, resting only when necessary. Their provisions were not a problem; a single leaf was potent enough to last for half a day. But still, as they now climb a rocky slope, hope is but a mere candlelight in front of the icy winds of doubt.

Though sometimes, a small fire is enough to keep one going.

When they got to the slope's top, what they saw beyond it defied all sense of reasoning.

They were standing on a cliff's edge, and from below it, snow and rubble rolled down, where it ended on a riverbank, where a part of a massive wrecked bridge stands. On their side, thick ice lay over the river, but on the latter, there was fresh blue water. Several fish swam in the seemingly warm liquid, jumping out of the azure several times. On that side's bank laid fresh green grass, as though untouched by a single snowflake, parted by the other half of the bridge, and a cobbled road leading to a heavy gate with tall, purple brick walls.

Edward smiled as though he had never smiled in years, and looked as his sister, wearing that lopsided grin that always annoyed her. Lyla responded with a face of disbelief, the slowly, tears fell.


	5. So unlucky we are: a change

**So unlucky we are.   
two: a change**

"So, this is Geffen, huh..."

Lyla spied with her midnight eyes at the red-haired girl standing on the other room. The girl of nineteen summers turned around, then nodded and replied "You ought to change clothes now sempai, or else you're gonna catch a cold."

She adjusted the hvit cigarette in her mouth, and gestured towards the lass. "Thank you, miss. I'll be there shortly." she said. The young woman beamed at her, nodded, and disappeared behind the wall.

Lyla stood up to follow, but paused. Her eyes roamed over the small living room: Four puffy chairs surrounding a maple coffee table, a few paintings adorned the wooden walls here and there, and a coat hanger, where her cream white one suspends, alongside a pair of jeans, dripping wet, beside a newly lit fireplace.

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We hurriedly went down the cliff, slipping and sliding on the thick snow. That was the most exciting part of our journey, not because we enjoyed rolling down the cliff, but mainly because we had found it. I felt just like a kid, about to open her present. It was there, its colossal walls already bringing me warmth, inviting me in.

It was calling me. _Come on in, it's all over. _

I was so happy. Scratch that, I was euphoric. Our goal was just there, within reach.

But then, as we got to the river bank, I remembered: The wrecked bridge, towering in front of us, is useless.

Ed however, continued walking across the frozen river, up to the point where solid became liquid. He knelt down, and touched the water.

"Warm."

I followed him to the frozen-solid edge, and touched the same substance, unable to believe what he said. And it was; lukewarm water, soft to the touch, crystal clear. Its intangible mass flowing through my open palm like it was something ethereal.

"I think those books I read will finally pay off." He smirked at me. He then turned his attention back to the water, planted his hands on the ice, and muttered some strange language. Spikes of ice snaked from his hand, freezing the water, creating a narrow rugged catwalk all the way to the river bank on the other side.

"Come on, cross now, talk later." Grabbing my arm, he led the way across the frost bridge, climbing on the block of ice.

I felt my jaw drop. "When did you learn how to do that?" I stumbled on a crack as I went up the ice face, almost losing my balance. "And will you stop pulling me?"

He let go of my arm rather hastily. He always feared my temper. "I learnt it a few weeks after our first prison hunt," he replied.

"Prison hunt.. so that spell was from that tattered book you brought home?" I recalled. He nodded in reply.

The prison hunt was our first major find about the past. The stuff there even surpassed the war. It seems that this "Prontera" spearheaded a campaign on eradicating zombies on the ruins. The prison area was the where the crusade was most active. Lots of adventurers went there, and died. Leaving all their junk there for us to scavenge.

We continued along the makeshift path, careful not to slip on the smooth parts. Thoughts crossed my mind as Ed went further ahead; _well he must be dying to see what's inside… I bet he'll be rubbing in the fact that I didn't believe him in the first place again…how many times have I doubted him? How many times has he been right? Maybe I should've put more trust in him in the first place; after all, he **is** my brother… _

Halfway there… a little more... a few meters left…

And then the ice split.

I fell into the water. The former warmth of the water instantly changed into cold numbness; swallowing, smothering me as my heavy clothes pulled me down. Flailing my arms, I frantically tried to grab whatever I could, to no avail. Ed was already at the other side when the ice shattered, and went back to the jagged ice crossing.

I was sinking, and fast. I could barely keep my head above the water. He couldn't get to me in time. _And even if he did, how can he save me?_

Then he did that spell again, directed towards me. 

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_And then I was here._ Lyla shivered, and continued to the next room. She stopped at the doorpost, staring, as the tall closet spitted out various dresses onto the mattress opposite it.

She stepped inside, and her eyes caught the attention of a mirror. A woman of medium height met her gaze, her crimson tee following every curve of her porcelain body, high-cut shorts exposing her unblemished thighs. Her long black hair clung to her face as it draped down, its strands framing a pair of charcoal eyes, blunt and dull, a perfectly angled nose, and thin scarlet lips.

"I think we both share the same size." The girl's head popped from behind the closet doors.

Lyla nodded in reply, and then sneezed. The crimson-haired lass giggled. "Let's get you to warmer clothes now, shall we?" She invitingly offered.

"Sure. By the way, Rina-chan. Remind me to punch Ed later."


	6. So unlucky we are: perfect

_June Fifteenth._

This marks our first week in the domed city, which the citizens call Geffen. Edward's book shows Geffen to be a city of mana and magecraft, and was the former headquarters of the prominent blacksmiths' guild before it moved north. The two distinct arts that revolved in these walls proved themselves worthy, as steel and mana became vital in the city's survival.

The city is at the top of a massive elevation, possibly three to four hundred feet higher than Glast Heim. The plateau wasn't indicated in the text, so I presume that the land mass arose sometime after, maybe with the Ice Age. Up until now I still wonder what really happened that caused everything to fall apart. Nevertheless, the height didn't really show itself; the inclination is remarkably low, for it ran for miles. We barely noticed the slope as we traveled. What is noticeable, however was the climate. Snowfall is seemingly present at all times, while semi-direct sunlight is drastically dim. Surely no humans could ever desire living in this harsh landscape. Yet how can this settlement still exist?

According to Romeleth, some time ago, the people created a marvel. To protect the town from attackers from its neighboring orc encampment, they started building a wall. it was the first of it's kind - a marriage of metal and magic - enclosing the city from both land and air attacks. Now, it still protects it's settlers - the mana coat retaining the heat and the thick steel repelling the harshness of the land.

I earlier mentioned in my past entry of the magic barrier's sudden increase in power. At that time the barrier reclaimed three-fourths of the water surrounding the islet where the city stood. Recently, the barrier has reached to the other side. Everyone has clearly rejoiced, and with more fish in their stomachs - for the melted ice brought schools of dead fish back to the surface - the festive mood has filled every house. Save for ours.

Merajiah is Romeleth's brother, a member of the council, and is one of the last few practitioners of magecraft in the city. As I was washing the dishes, a task I recently took to somehow repay his kindness for letting us take lodging in his house, the wizard came in for a visit and had for what I thought was just a small talk with his brother. The next moment, Romeleth called me and Edward to the discussion. Dear Rina was then informed once she arrived from studies, and after we all left the house, each of us had no idea on how to cope with the horrible truth.

**So unlucky we are. 3: perfect.**

It seemed ominous for Edward. The city emanates a certain majestic glow, as if the sun's rays came not from the sky, but from the earth itself. Yet the sun was nowhere, as it has always been, though the sky was different from when he and his sister entered the sanctuary. From it's former image of passive heavy clouds, it now resembled a thick violent swirl of mud and ash.

Geffen is, undoubtably, a paradise - warm and exquisite, with its white brick houses accentuated by oaken-framed windows, purple roofs and smooth cobbled roads. Beside it, alluring gardens with luscious fruits, cleanly cropped, like a gardener was on watch the whole day. It seemed like the city was from another world, leagues away from the cruel cold reality.

He could not understand why such a utopia deserved such a dark secret.

The thing that troubled Edward was the structure in the very center of the city. A huge spire, jutting out of the heavens, monolithic, it's peak overlooking the passive cityscape below. His eyes become fixed on the tip of the tower; a crystal, diamond-shaped, emitted a tainted prism of colors from four lateral points, which arched down as it spread across the skeletal dome.

_Who knew that the thing that let them live will the the cause of their doom?_

From across the street, in the town plaza, a small crowd gathers. A bearded man - about fifty years old - stepped up to the stage, hands on the small of his back, long coat dragging on the granite steps.

Milan DeCarlo, the council head, spoke: "I ask everyone. Calmly listen to what I have to say."

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"Geffen, under siege?"

"Yes. Soon."

"Why? how?"

The look on Merajiah's face scared me. His expression wasn't really one that was terrifying, but I knew. I knew that that was the face of someone who wished that what he was saying was false.

"Explain. What do you mean?"

The man started, then paused as he waited for Lyla to finish the dishes. He clumsily poured himself some tea, spilling some of it on the tray.

"The underground" Merajiah said. "They woke up."

Romeleth stared at his brother, wide-eyed. Merajiah caught his gaze, and nodded. He tried to resume the talk, stopping as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Geffen has -- had an underground cave system beneath it. It housed monsters. But they were dead.. they were supposed to be dead. When we discovered the door, no one was breathing. The dome's magic didn't reach them; they froze."

"Last week," He downed his cup. "One of them got out of the door. I was the one who first saw it. It was a huge arachnid - an Argos... I killed it. The council went down again, to see why, and how. 

"They're awake. We saw them, a whole colony's worth. They saw us. We ran back to the door, and sealed the door with rubble.

"That was a week ago" He repeated himself. "The barrier increased significantly since then. A lot more would have woken up by now."

I asked. The door's the only way out right? then it can be guarded.

He replied. We found them digging on the cavern walls, finding a way to the surface.

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"We advice everyone to keep together, protect yourselves, and be alert. May we all live through this predicament."

The elder's announcement ended, painting everyone's faces with surprise, disbelief, and confusion. Then slowly, seriousness engulfed everyone - possibly resignation, maybe fear - and they slowly left the plaza.

As group of them passed by where Edward stood, he heard one of them mutter:

"So, we're just gonna wait for our doom..."


	7. So unlucky we are: Fire and Ice

With a pair of tongs, she grabs a small cauldron from the furnace and tips it in midair. Smooth thick liquid, it's red-orange glow tinged with occasional semi-solid black crusted matter, pours out of it, and into a rectangular steel box, filling out several small holes. Setting aside the cauldron, she then taps the box to the anvil, shaking out air bubbles. Satisfied, she plunges the steel to a trough filled with water. Steam gushes angrily, hissing and spitting continuously for a minute.

She then lays the box back on the anvil, and with a blow from a hammer, splits the rectangle lengthwise. Another couple of taps, and large pellets, more than a centimeter in diameter and black from soot, fall loose.

A knock on the door. The voice of Romeleth's daughter enters the area. "Are you done, Lyla? I still have to teach you this, so hurry up please."

Lyla pulls off the protective mask. "Yeah I just finished. I'll be there in a sec," She replies, gathering the iron spheres.

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**So unlucky we are. 4: Fire and Ice.**

"Now, concentrate. Invoke the mana in your body, and let it run through your circuit."

Lyla closed her eyes and followed. Rina watched for a few seconds, then proceeded.

"Good. Here's a small can. I want you to use the mana to hit it with as much force as you can exert." She instructed. Instantly, just as she took her hands off the tin, the cylinder twists inward, crumpling in itself. Rina breathed a small _'Woah'_, then did a single clap.

"That exercise never fails to amaze me." She laughed. "Okay, let's up the ante. Activate your magic circuit once more, but don't release it yet," She paused as Lyla did as she told. "This is a shortcut by the way; I know that you're supposed to be uttering phrases as you conjure up a formula ring, but just follow me through this and it's fine."

"Now, project the ring using your mana. We'll use the fire elemental, projectile." A faint ring incribed with runes appeared, circling the mutilated tin can. "A magic practitioner needs a formula ring so that she could control an element. She activates it by speaking to their mana. Those serve as the 'magic words.' Thing is, elite wielders are proficient enough to skip the speaking parts; and with the very nice side effect of a less visible ring, they had the edge in combat."

"The logic with this shortcut is that by proper control of your magic circuit, it is possible to ditch the speaking part firsthand and go voiceless from the beginning. Though you'll encounter a steep learning curve on the way, it's still definitely worth it since it won't cost you loads of years to learn just the basics. Release the fire bolt." She gestured.

Nothing. The ring disappeared, but no bolt of heat came. "Eh?" Lyla uttered. Rina blinked.

The girl thought deeply. "Lemme see... what could be wrong.. project the ring again." She examined the circling inscriptions. "Nothing's wrong with the runes, you memorized them correctly.. so that means..."

"You can't trigger the spell using your thoughts alone." She smiled.  
"So I'll have to do it the regular way?" Lyla sighed.

"Not exactly. This is probably your steep part of the learning curve. Or something." Rina shrugged. "Where you'll initially have a hard time, but with a little help, it's possible to make it through."

"What now then?"

"Whip out the formula ring again, but instead of just _willing_ the spell out, speak a word that would mean the releasing of the spell. That should do it."

"_Feuer._" And the can burst into flames.

"Brilliant," Rina snapped, kicking the burning rubble out the door and straight to the narrow canal. "We'll now go straight to the point of this lesson." She sat back on the couch. "Uncle Merajiah said that the huge spiders - the Argos - weren't the only ones that resided underground."

"There are Nightmares and Whispers too. We've seen those sort back home." Lyla said.

"Gotcha. Anyways, they're ghosts. We can't equip everyone with elementals. All those who can manipulate mana in any way should learn how to divert mana into their weapons. Now you try it."

Lyla's mouth was agape. "Right now? How?"

"It's easy, divert mana to your hand, then project a basic fire formula ring in that unit. Come on, do it." Rina nagged, very much liking her sudden superiority to the older girl.

The student followed, and grabbed her pocket knife. Suddenly, the town hall bell rings loudly, its clanging as fast as the panic that immediately surfaced in both of their hearts.

She scratched the stone floor, leaving a burn mark. They both stood up and equipped themselves.

As they left the house, the younger one couldn't help herself. "You're so cool, oneechan!" She gushed. Lyla hugged her, and lightly kissed her. She smirked.

"Because you're a great sensei."

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"You're a fabulous student, Edward. Such a talented ice wizard you'll make."

The young man smiled back at Merajiah, and replied to the compliment. "I've read the basics before. I just needed advanced lessons."

The young man stood still for a moment, then brought up a subject. "If this is the city of magecraft, why are there so few practitioners?"

The wizard was silent. He breathed deep, relishing the air. "We are magi of destruction. And there is nothing left to destroy."

Merajiah pulled his robe from a hanger. "Let us get going, then."  
"Yeah.. we should."

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_The sidewalk beside the bakery._ An eight-legged creature, almost human-sized, scuttling. Four - _no, three_ - meters in its direction, a villager.

A pull on the lever. _One. Clean the barrel. Load gunpowder. Pack. Load ball. Pack._

_Seven and a half blocks to the north. _A hole in the ground. A pack of monsters, seemingly passive. A platinum horse, it's mane resembling smoke and fire, kicking a door ajar, to no avail.

Lyla shoots. The iron ball passes through the entity, hitting an arachnid behind it. She smirks. _Two. Prepare barrel..._

A crash. _Where? Down_ -- six arachnids; one beheading a man clean, the rest climbing steadily up the rooftop.

Aim. Fire. The one up front gets hit - with an exit wound the size of a child's fist - and tumbles downward, bringing two with it in the process. _Reload. Fir--_ She pulls the trigger again; nothing happened. _The matchlock!_

The Argos reached the roof, and as it's forelegs got their first step on the purple tiles, the Arquebus' bayonet greeted them, hacking through. The spider endured a series of pierces and slashes dealt by the rusty blade before it went down. The remaining one was much quicker to react, evading slashes that would have killed it otherwise. Lyla managed to deal a strong blow with the rifle butt, dazing it for a moment - enough time to plunge the blade to it's body. Lyla held the extinguished matchlock tip with her thumb and index, concentrated hard, and with a faint whisper passing her lips, conjured a faint glow back into the thin ignition rope.

She pulled the S-shaped arm, bringing the ember to the priming powder in the pan attached to the barrel side. It created a flash that penetrated a small port in the breech of the gun, igniting the main charge.

Bang.


	8. So unlucky we are: Arcender

Rina didn't stop to think. When the spiders dropped from a second story window and attacked Kirtan, she just turned and ran, as fast as she could, toward the far end of the wall. She ran, not hearing the Argos pursuing her, just hearing her own breath. She rounded the corner, saw an Ash tree growing by the side of the building, and leapt, grabbing a branch, swinging up. She didn't feel panic. She felt a kind of exhilaration as she kicked and saw her legs rise up in front of her face, and she hooked her legs over a branch farther up, tightened her gut, and pulled quickly.

She was already twelve feet off the ground, and the arachnids still weren't following her, and she was beginning to feel pretty good, when she saw the first spider at the base of the tree. Its appendages were bloody, and bits of flesh hung from its jaws. She continued to go up fast, hand over hand, just reaching and going, and she could almost see the top of the edifice. She looked down again.

Two of the kind was climbing the tree.

Now she was at the same level as the rooftop, only four feet away. There was a door on the roof, as she expected; she could get inside. In a single heaving effort she flung herself through the air, and landed sprawling on the stone roof. She scraped her wrist, but adrenaline kept her rush intact. It seemed that she was playing a game, a game she intended to win. She ran for the door that led to the stairwell. Behind her, she could hear the spiders shaking the branches of the tree. They were still climbing.

She reached the door, and pushed it. Locked.

It took a moment for the meaning of that to cut through her euphoria. _The door is locked. I'm on the roof and there's no way down. It's LOCKED._

She pounded on the door in frustration a few times, and then she ran for the far side of the roof, hoping to see a way down, but there was only a herb garden, planted in a straight line in huge pots. _No ladders, not even a haystack. Nothing._

She turned back, and saw three jumping easily into the roof. Now they came slowly toward her, stalking her, slipping silently between the shirts and blankets that hung on the washing lines.

They were closer, starting to move apart, and unreasonably she thought: _Why is it always this way? Some little mistake screws it all up!_ She felt the gaiety slowly slipping away; reality was grabbing hold, though she still couldn't believe that these monsters were going to get her, couldn't believe that her life was going to end just like this, just this instant. It seemed impossible. The arachnids hissed.

Then they attacked. Rina sprinted to the right, reached for the wooden basin filled with just-dried clothes, and jumped from the ledge.

And fell.

**So unlucky we are 5. Arcender: Trials and Tragedies.**

Edward lay on a crumpled heap of what was once a wooden crate, hurt but still very alive. Beside him lay another spider of much larger proportions, its head pierced by a five-foot wooden shaft, the tip that dug through the creature resembling that of a halberd's, the other jewel-encrusted, a sole azure embedded in steel, where a short serrated blade juts out. As he stood up, another group of monstrosities came, and those capable of ranged combat sent a volley of arrows and spears at it immediately. One beast fell writhing with a javelin, still warm from its forging, right through its body. Another breathed its last wearing a big gash, but the spear tip was corrupted with rust and didn't lodge itself on the flesh. Others were arrow-bitten, and they were all enraged. They charged forward to hew down the attackers, but fire exploded from the ground, barring their advance. The raging element caught them, reducing to the whole group to cinders, their tomb marker a fiery pillar that seemed to reach for the sky.

He had no time to ponder on who casted the spell beforehand. The air had come alive with fleeting forms, dodging, flickering, fading on every side. Wisps were abound; ethereal forms of grey-white, their makeshift faces composed of three rotating holes which served as eyes and mouth. The people were scared and in disarray; the air filled with unseen hushed voices, and they hacked and slashed and stabbed madly with their weapons. Arrows flew, and few hit their mark. A quiver fell, with a thud, at the doorpost in his left, pinning one of the Whispers, and Edward drove a frozen bolt at it.

Suddenly, a well-built man stabbed at him; and even though he foresaw the attack a split-second ago, crimson blossomed on his upper sleeve. He was stunned; unsure of what to make of this confusion.

He called out; _What the fuck are you doing?_

No reply.

The man lunged at him again, sword arm raised. Edward twisted his body aside, feeling the wind slicing by the back of his neck, and swung the pole wand, diverting mana into it. The halberd tip's hook caught the man's lower jaw, piercing the windpipe, tearing the neck muscles, and driving through the spinal column.

The he saw it: a semi-transparent white cloth of floating material, flaked with cold caked blood, caught by the frost brought by the blade.

"Possessed.." he uttered, staring back at the carcass.

--------------------------------------------

Rina tried to avert her eyes from the sight.

A curved bill dug down, then pulled back as it ripped a small hole on a shirt. It dove again, bobbing up with a sizable amount of flesh on its beak. It gobbled up the sinew, stopped to look around and spot any that might steal its meal, and issued a small guttural croak. The raven's lustrous black feathers, having a blue or purplish iridescence, quickly became adorned with red as it resumed feeding on the refuse.

"Sorry about this," she said, still not looking at the cadaver. A breath of wind blew, faint yet coming from all directions, and it scared the raven, fluttering back to a hole in a nearby roof. She was about to walk away when she remembered,

"Oh, and I'd like to take your hand guard too. Thanks."

Aside from that man, it had been ten whole minutes since she had seen or heard any hint of combat with the invaders. She had settled down now, and she decided that it would be better to sneak up the monsters from behind instead of charging in with no complete regard to her - and anyone's - safety.

So she wandered the back alleys. Every now and then she would see a lone Argos, probably strayed off its colony, sneak up as close as possible, slice off its head, then jump away as it squirms voicelessly to death.

She rubbed her bottom - it still ached from the fall. _I shouldn't have done that jig, _she thought. Wincing slightly, Rina continued onward, eyes keen to spot any movement revealed by her magelight - a valuable asset, made priceless due to the fact that she can bestow its light to allies, and hide it from everything else.

_Here they are._ As Rina neared the end of the alleyway, she spotted two targets. One was another spider, in the opposite alley across the main road. The other was a mist-like creature, a clump of gaseous material ten feet from where she stood. She searched her pockets, and extracted a red stone. It was rockish in texture, yet crystalline in appearance. Rina concentrated, breathed in deep, and ran towards the first opponent.

The myst creature spotted her. It formed an arm, which extended and rushed towards her. She ducked, swerved and rolled effortlessly, and plunged her arm - and the gem - to the smokelike body. Immediately the myst protected itself; It formed a shield, which it rammed at her.

The myst caught her squarely in the chest; she felt as if she was hit by a cushioned picture frame, which she thought was actually very comfortable, until she was shoved to a wall.

Her back hurt a lot, and she sidestepped away to avoid being engulfed with the other arm. The Argos noticed her now and began scuttling to their direction, emitting a distorted screech, a barely subsonic call. Still winded from being slammed to a stone wall, Rina spun to avoid another blow, and then threw a knife at the arachnid, which landed right in the center of its cluster of eyes.

"He's dead, you should follow his example!" Rina called at the myst creature, still dodging attacks, blocking them occasionally with her hand guard. Soon enough, the creature showed signs of slowing down, eventually turning into a porous stone figure.

"Bye then, gotta catch the others," She waved at the statue as she slid down the next alleyway.

--------------------------------------------

_Reload.. reload.. RELOAD!_

Lyla felt warm tears slide down her cheeks, as another man fell, a split second earlier than the monster did. But she pressed on, ignoring her emotions as she prepared for the next firing. _The more time I waste mourning, the more people that I wouldn't be able to save in time. _

The waves were increasing in number, and more and more tunnels have opened. Aside from the agile Argos and the ethereal Nightmares, Whispers and Mysts have appeared in their ranks, all the more surprising everyone.

The Argos spun in midair and landed on its back, legs twitching; violet liquid oozing from it.

The villagers have held their ground, fighting on a prayer. The blood of those who built the domed city still flowing in their veins, they manipulated every available resource for everyone's survival. But it was still a lost cause. The fact still remains: their numbers were falling, and the horde was increasing.

The iron ball shot out of the barrel, and it flew with the wind at it's side, piercing a Whisper. The ripping wind followed, tearing its clothlike vessel to shreds.

_Out of bullets.._ Lyla slung her arquebus on her shoulder, and went down the roof as fast as she can, climbing down the groove on the wall that served as the roof gutter.

"Hey," A voice called, and she uttered a weak scream. She whirled around, and saw the laughing figure of a young lady that she knew all too well.

"...Damn you!" Whispered Lyla, wanting to strangle the younger girl right there and then.

"You almost jumped out of your skin!" Rina exclaimed, trying - and failing - to stifle her laugh.

After a short fight - Lyla retaliated by biting Rina's upper arm - they headed for the plaza.

She was feeling better now; somehow all the pain went away in Rina's presence. _Or maybe I just couldn't let her see it. Really, I am such a weak person... _But it was only for a moment; for their walk through the disarrayed streets filled her with so much emotion that the bird's eye she had of the entire downtown - an open air view to everyone's trials and tragedies - seemed nothing compared to being there itself. The oil lamps nesting on ten foot poles that felt like sentries to the empty streets were uprooted; one of them still standing, reduced to a scornful metal rod, snagging a stray leg as if it was a prized trophy. It was a battlefield without the combatants. The remains that littered the place were few, yet the bareness of it all was maddening - the lack of life and death, and of existence. Meter-high bonfires - which ripped the darkness apart, both a gift and a curse to anyone - lit the scene; their hissing spitting flames, together with the smell of salt and oxidized iron, served as a spiteful yet empty background to the area.

"It's fine. Cry your heart out. You can't keep it tucked away." Rina looked at her with an empathic figure; green eyes full of concern, the usual thin sneer of her lips now a kind weary smile.

Lyla hugged her tightly, Rina's red hair barely long enough to cover the older girl's face as she let her tears fall for a second time. It lasted fifteen long minutes before Lyla finally spoke. "Thank you. But I have wept long enough. We have to find Edward and your father now." Lyla let go, wiping her red eyes.

After what seemed like half an hour, they encountered a lone young man, a few years older than Rina. He introduced himself as Krist, and all three of them were happy to wander the streets as a group.

"You sure you don't remember me, Miss Rina? I worked in Mister Romeleth's smithshop for quite a bit, it's impossible that you haven't seen me before!" Krist said, and then continued on his own. "Well, actually I was there for only two days, as I accidentally whacked my right hand with the Number Two hammer. I'm alright now." He smiled sheepishly, earning him stares from both ladies.

"Well I do remember you, now that I think about it. It's just that you look.. pretty ordinary." Rina shrugged.

Rina's statement made Lyla take a second glance at the newcomer. _Evenly-cut below ear level black hair and bangs that cover everything above the eyebrow, topped by a green beret. About the same height as me. Lightly built frame, wearing a buttoned-up polo shirt, slacks and suede shoes._ _Not exactly 'ordinary' for me.. _

"So, you had a rough time?" Lyla asked him, eyeing the ruffled slightly-torn clothes, stained by soil and purple liquid.

Krist was about to question Rina's opinion of 'pretty ordinary', but thought Lyla's inquiry was a better subject. "Did I! Would you believe that when the bell sounded, I was in the northernmost wall? And look where we are now, downtown!" He sighed "I thought I was gonna be a goner for sure, not having held a weapon properly before. But it seems that these things like me." He showed two daggers, one a flexible curved blade, the other serrated and thick.

The three were enjoying each other's company a lot, but each reverted into uneasy silence when they inevitably encountered conflict.

_Five.. ten... twenty.. _"They're too many. We should move." Lyla spoke as she fitted her hands with metal claws.

Krist breathed deep before replying: "That would be difficult. The Unseen are with them."

"Follow my lead." Both of them did a side glance at Rina, who was eyeing the ghosts, who in turn were circling around them like invisible hounds.

Suddenly, for some unexplainable moment, Lyla felt the ghosts disappear, and she saw Rina's wrist glow white. She was about to question when Krist took her hand and followed Rina as they ran west, the unwanted company chasing them.

They took a left turn on a wider back alley, between the boutique and a store selling dry goods. The place had trash bins neatly arranged on both sides, and they made it a task to topple and scatter them around as they moved further. Argos came from above, jumping down from the two rooftops. Krist met them halfway down - he jumped off a tall garbage can, - slashing them dead, one beheaded cleanly, the other jagged and rough.

"Bravo," Lyla applauded him as he landed in a smooth roll, wooden soles clicking on the cobble. She sliced the chain link fence apart with ease, its edges melting slightly.

"Don't go slashing everything in the way; with your miniscule mana, you're bound to run empty sooner than you think." Rina warned amusingly, irking her, but taking heed nonetheless.

The alleyway continued in a long stretch; but it had numerous openings. The creatures were quickly catching up, finding alternate routes, ambushing them through doors and windows, canal openings and intersections. _Where the hell are the people? _

They stopped. The end of the alleyway was closed off by a high wooden gate. In front of it, stood a spectral horse figure, a tall withering grey with mane resembling both smoke and fire. Then the head was no more; a robe hooded figure took its place, readying its scythe, stomping its hooves.

"Get out OF THE WAY!" Rina shouted, and spheres appeared on her right wrist, circled her once, and then flew screaming towards the figure, blasting five huge holes in it, the last that the three have seen of the being before disappearing to nothingness.

They blasted through the barrier, and into an open courtyard. But it was not empty. Dozens - probably hundreds - of bodies lie peacefully on the ground, some covered with cloth, and most have maimed bodies. All were lifeless.

"Welcome to the eastern district fort. As you can see, we are the only ones left." Edward came from behind a line of trees. The three turned towards him. "Where is my father? Uncle?" Rina demanded, confused.

"They are... gone."


End file.
